Chapter 38 Understanding the Wind Direction, Returning to Qingning

"Here's some money for rouge, take it."

Pang Long tossed over a brocade pouch.

“Pang…”

Li Xian wanted to ask more questions, but Pang Long sighed heavily and turned to enter the manor.

Looking around, the world was pitch black.

Buying rouge is nothing short of a pipe dream, harder than climbing to heaven.

Yihezhuang is more than 30 li away from Qingning County. Although it is not a mountain road, it is an official road paved with fine stones and gravel.

But the heavy snow had already buried the roads.

If you can't find your way, you'll definitely get lost once you go out.

Li Xian understood the intricacies of the matter and let out a soft breath.

I forced myself to calm down and thought of a solution.

"I am still at the entrance of the village, and I still have landmarks to refer to, so I know which direction is east, west, south, and north. But once I step into the wind and snow, I will have no landmarks left."

Regardless, put on the fur cloak first to try and keep your body warm.

"This brocade pouch feels smooth to the touch; it must belong to the lady."

He opened the brocade pouch and found three taels of silver inside.

Although the world is in chaos, rouge and face powder are still very expensive. Three or five taels of silver can buy rouge, but not truly good rouge.

"It seems that his real intention was not what he thought."

Li Xian carefully put away the brocade pouch. Seeing that the manor gate was tightly closed, he knew that there was no point in staying any longer. So he picked up an oil lamp and walked along the courtyard wall.

After walking for more than a mile, they came to a corner. Li Xian knew that if he continued to walk around the courtyard wall, he would be going in circles around the village.

We will never reach Qingning County.

"How to break this deadlock?" Li Xian's mind went blank, and he calmed down...

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

In this environment, the eyes are useless.

What truly matters is the skin and the sensation.

“If I go east, I will reach Qingning County. The difficulty here is how to keep going east without going in the wrong direction.”

"Eyes are useless, ears are useless... the only things that are useful are 'memory' and 'feeling'!"

Li Xian stretched out his hands, sensing the wind direction.

At this moment, he was not lost and knew where east, west, north, and south were.

A faint resistance came from ahead, blown by an east wind. After a moment, the wind shifted to a south wind...

The wind direction is constantly changing.

"Fortunately, I learned the Four Directions Fist and applied its principles here, which is just the right way to break the deadlock."

"I take myself as the flag, feel the strong winds from all sides, and compare the winds to enemies from all directions."

"First, remember the initial wind direction. Then, based on the changes in the wind direction angle, you can deduce what kind of wind is blowing at all times. Finally, using the wind direction as a reference, you can determine the directions of east, west, south, and north."

"As long as you keep track of the wind direction, you won't get lost in the snowstorm."

To put it simply, there was nothing in the world, just pitch black, with only the wind as a reference point.

But the wind changes constantly, and when you're in the midst of a snowstorm, you can't tell which direction is blowing, so how can you tell what kind of wind is blowing?

Moreover, the wind can blow people off course, causing them to lose their way without realizing it.

How difficult it is to keep heading east.

Only by firmly remembering the initial wind direction and then using your senses to predict the new wind direction in real time can you truly understand it.

From the vast expanse of wind and snow, we found this "flowing" and unique reference point.

Li Xian took a deep breath.

Calm your mind and stop thinking about anything. Take a step forward and step into the wind and snow.

The wind suddenly changed direction and started blowing from the southwest.

"It's a southwest wind!"

Using the wind as a guide, determine the location of the east, and head eastward.

"It's changed...it's a southeast wind now..."

Let's propose a new direction.

The most difficult part of this method lies in "memory" and "confidence".

Even if the solution is feasible, walking alone in such an environment will inevitably lead to doubt and a sense of unease.

Any mistake, oversight, or lapse in concentration along the way can lead to completely wrong judgments, causing one to unknowingly start going in circles and completely lose direction.

Li Xian closed his eyes, shutting out his senses and focusing his mind.

The wind, which disrupts direction, becomes a marker for locking onto the direction.

Step by step, for who knows how long.

"This is……"

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the towering city gate of "Qingning County" standing in front of him.

"It's a success!"

Li Xian was overjoyed, as if he had escaped death. He leaned against the city wall and walked along it, and soon saw a dog hole.

With two punches, his internal energy surged, scattering the snow blocking the dog hole.

They crawled through the tunnel and successfully entered the city.

"What is the lady's purpose in specifically sending me to buy rouge?"

"Are you trying to kill me to silence me? Or do you have some other purpose?"

Li Xian saw a stable, used his "Snow-Treading" ability to lightly vault over the wall, and took a good rest in the stable.

On snowy days, all the gates in Qingning County were closed.

"Why not take this opportunity to escape? We'll be free from now on, find another place, and then seek a new path?"

Li Xian was suddenly overcome by a strong thought.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something, as if a gaze was directed at him.

He looked around, but there was no one in sight.

"No..." Li Xian secretly warned, "If they asked me to buy rouge on such a snowy day, they must have other intentions. If I run away now, perhaps... I will actually bring about my own demise!"

Rectify the spirit of the first and second.

The internal energy circulates throughout the body, restoring warmth to the frozen hands and feet.

"If it weren't for my internal energy, I would have died of hypothermia long ago."

Li Xian muttered to himself, thinking that since he was already here, he might as well take a stroll through Louping Alley.

The house was dilapidated, its thatched roof blown away by the strong wind. Fortunately, my younger brother had already left, so we didn't have to freeze here.

The Liu family next door had their roof reinforced, plastered with mud, and covered with some wood.

It can barely cope with strong winds.

The fire was lit inside the house, and the family of three huddled together on the warm kang (heated brick bed).

Li Xian felt much better. After leaving Louping Lane, she felt her way along the houses.

"This oil lamp is quite magical; it can't be extinguished even by a strong wind."

Although it can illuminate the surroundings, it is not enough to provide warmth.

There are many houses and landmarks in the county, so you won't get lost. Li Xian identified the names of the streets and alleys by looking through several tall buildings.

"Shuisha Lane..."

"This is it!"

If you're wondering where to buy rouge and face powder in Qingning County, look no further than "Shuisha Lane" next to "Hongzhu Lane".

Red Candle Lane was a place of nightly revelry and extravagant entertainment. Water Gauze Lane, on the other hand, was a street where silk, cosmetics, and decorative items were sold.

It is completely different from Louping Lane.

The ground was paved with blue bricks, and when it was lively, it was brightly lit. Any leftover delicacies were dumped directly on the ground.

But they deliberately refused to give food to the beggars.

Each building housed a large number of thugs.

Anyone who dares to pick up leftovers will be beaten. We simply won't give you any, what can you do about it?

However, the snow had piled up into a blanket, and the blue bricks were no longer visible.

"Dream Fairy Pavilion"

"Let's buy it here."

Li Xian knocked on the door, but received no response, so she knocked harder.

Bang bang—

After a long while, someone finally responded.

"Get out, get out! Go freeze to death somewhere else! You think I'll collect your corpses? No way!"

The voice was quite harsh.

"Open the door, let's do business."

Li Xian gathered his inner energy and drank with great force.

After a long while, the door was pulled open a crack, and an eye was peered through the gap. "Sir, in the dead of winter, have you come to the wrong place?"

The voice became much gentler.

Li Xian said in a deep voice, "This is the place. I'll buy rouge here."

"Are you really buying rouge?" the woman asked.

"Otherwise what?" Li Xian brushed the snow off his body.

"Alright, please come in." The woman opened the door a crack. Li Xian squeezed in and then closed the door behind her.

The room was very warm.

After lighting several stoves, Li Xian untied his cloak, shook the snow off his hair, and then began to examine the other person.

She was a middle-aged woman in her forties, quite large in stature, carrying a red and green handkerchief, and smelling strongly of perfume.

"Oh, oh, oh, it's a young master."

Upon seeing Li Xian in person, the middle-aged woman relaxed considerably.

It was originally a fledgling.

"What kinds of rouge and face powder do you have? Tell me about them." Li Xian stretched out her hands and placed them next to the stove to warm them.

"Rouge and face powder, there's plenty of it." The woman chuckled. "Young master, come with me."

(End of this chapter)